1. Field
The disclosed embodiments relate to a system and a method for data transmission between at least one display screen and a remote client system. The invention is particularly well suited to data transmission according to the “ARINC 661” protocol, between a control station (cockpit) of an aeronautical communication network and a client system.
2. Brief Description of Related Developments
The ARINC 661 protocol was developed by the aeronautical industry to define an industry standard for the graphic interface of video display screens in an aircraft cockpit (CDS) (cockpit display system), and to provide a suitable communication protocol between a client system and an aircraft control station (cockpit).
This protocol in particular permits sending of transactions, such as selection of a “button”, from the control station to the client system.
According to the ARINC 661 protocol, the operating system at the control station should have a “kernel” which is capable of generating the hierarchical structure of the graphic interface, from a definition file (DF), during the initialization phase or a definition phase, of the CDS. This “kernel” also facilitates the sending of transactions.
The definition file is a binary file which contains the list of graphical objects (so-called “widgets”) which will be required for the client system in order to generate its HMI pages (HMI=human-machine interface) before they are displayed at the control station. A given definition file is associated with a single client system (user application, UA), but the client system may be compatible with more than one definition file. The “widgets” are stored in a library managed by the CDS.
The “widgets” may be interactive, i.e. they may receive and may react to actions of the crew.
Such interactive commands are very practical and useful, because they allow an aircraft pilot to work (as a purely illustrative example) from a single support device, in particular his display screen, in order to execute and follow up with a task such as the fuel feed while in flight. This arrangement thus contributes to reduction of pilot workload and work stress.
However, such an arrangement is still plagued by temporary deficiencies, such as spontaneous updating of data by a client system without intervention by the aircraft pilot.
Consequently, it is necessary to improve the reliability of the interactive commands employed in the control station, in order to avoid spurious or untimely commands, or corruption of commands, in the system, which may have adverse effects on the aircraft and its passengers.